The cost effectiveness of mass drug therapy for intestinal helminths

This article reviews the principles involved in establishing the cost effectiveness of mass drug therapy for the major intestinal nematodes of man (Ascaris lumbricoides, Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale, Trichuris trichiura) and the intestinal form of schistosomiasis (mainly Schistosoma mansoni and S. japonicum), as well as the extent to which the available studies have provided definitive answers. The article is presented under the headings: principles of cost-effectiveness analysis; the most efficient chemotherapy strategy; anthelmintic treatment versus other types of programme.